The second installment in Will Long’s and Terre Thaemlitz’s joint series drops Monday. It’s interesting hearing these sophisticated takes on deep house, and with Mint / Clay, Long happily drives further in to deep house territory especially with “Under-Currents.” Before you know it, you’ll see Mr. Long on a DJ circuit I imagine. However, I do have to write that DJ Sprinkles’ overdub of “Get In & Stay In” is definitely my favorite fruit thus far stemming from this monumental collaboration. Sprinkles’ overdub of “Get In & Stay In” uses woodwinds and an electronic organ (I’m not going to lie, I’m unsure if this is the name for this specific instrument…) that are reminiscent of something you’d hear in a smooth jazz track, but, of course, it’s not tacky so don’t fret. It’s definitely something I’d like to see used in the way of a fashion show. I think Deejay switched around the order of the tracks on their site, as I referred to the Comatonse site for the listing. Listen to a preview of this EP by clicking the Buy Now button and see what you think of it. Cheers!

Correction: This releases Monday, 9/19, not Friday, 9/16.

The Details

Still dazed from the 1st volume but Will Long and DJ Sprinkles have already cued up their 2nd session, with Mint / Clay landing on Terre Thaemlitzâ€™ Comatonse.

The format and aesthetic remains the same as Vol.1, namely two raw pieces by Will Long, backed with overdubs by Sprinkles, amounting to thee deepest house this side of Larry Heardâ€™s nuclear love bunker, all subtly executed and held up as a comparison to the aesthetics and intentions (or, ironically, the excess and lack of) of that sound in relief of current, conceptually-detached takes on the original, queer NYC deep house sound which Sprinkles was instrumental in shaping as a downtown DJ during that formative era.

Again, Will Long, whoâ€™s best known for his experimental ambient work as Celer, proves that it ainâ€™t what youâ€™ve got but what you know and can do with it that matters. Under-Currents places sparing samples of T.R.M. Howard - a mentor of Jesse Jackson and founder of Mississippiâ€™s Regional Council of Negro Leadership - amidst a dream sequence of carbonated hi-hats and lingering chords urged by a plump bass drum, whilst Get In & Stay In nods to civil right activist and current Georgia congressional representative John Lewis in a lush haze of crepuscular chromatics and loping swing.

DJ Sprinkles goes on to contribute another pair of incredible overdubs, lending Longâ€™s minimal elements a richer, fleshlier feel, whether with additional breakbeats, or nimbly lowering the bass and layering up spirited flutes and Rhodes.

Quite crucially, the concept never gets in the way of the music, perfectly demonstrating the symbiotic nature of the music and politics in the way we imagine they intended, especially for the DJs, dancers and promoters who act as gatekeepers for this music.